Historic: Argentine Franco Colapinto to race in Formula 1 for Williams

Argentina to get pilot project again Formula 1 After 23 years. The decision you made Williams On Tuesday, he opened a door that would have been unthinkable just hours earlier. Grove’s team confirmed the firing Logan Sargeant when there are nine races left for this place to be filled Carlos Sainz Jr. (will land in 2025) and now they have found a replacement for the escort Alexander Albon until the new season begins with the star of the current Ferrari driver: the Argentine Franco Colapinto He is the one chosen to close out the remainder of 2024 and will use number 43.

Here, Colapinto debuts in the place Williams On September 1st in the city. Italian Grand Prix.on the Monza track, and will become The 26th Argentine driver in history to take part in Formula 1. It will also end a more than 20-year run without an albiceleste driver in the world’s top category of motorsport, with the last one being Gaston Mazzacanin 2001. He will also become the second Argentine to play for the British team, after his compatriot Carlos Reutemann.

After 13:00 in Argentina, Williams made an official statement on his social media. “Franco Colapinto will play until the end of the 2024 season”– they wrote with a photo of Pilar, a native of Buenos Aires. The driver from Buenos Aires “is a member of the Williams Driver Academy and made his FP1 debut in the FW46 at this year’s British Grand Prix. His Formula 2 campaign this year has seen him take a win at Imola and podiums in Barcelona and Austria, as well as seven more points. He will be Williams Racing’s 49th Grand Prix driver,” the British team said.

Williams also wrote a few words for the departing driver. “The team would like to take this opportunity to thank Logan Sargeant for his hard work and contribution over the last two seasons. He competed in 36 Grands Prix and at last year’s United States Grand Prix became the first American driver to score a point in Formula One since Michael Andretti 30 years ago. “Logan will remain part of the Williams family and we will support him as he continues his racing career.”.

In statements on the British team’s official website, Colapinto He expressed his feelings after being confirmed as an official top-class driver. “It’s a great honour for me to make my Formula 1 debut with Williams.. The team has an incredible history and a mission to return to the front lines, which I can’t wait to be a part of.”.

“Coming into Formula 1 mid-season will require a huge learning curve. but i am up for the challenge and I am fully focused on working as hard as possible with Alex and the team to achieve success,” the Buenos Aires native continued.

For my part, James VowlesTeam Principal, commented: “Changing a driver mid-season is not an easy decision to make, but we believe it gives Williams the best opportunity to challenge for points for the remainder of the season. We have just completed a major upgrade to the car and need to maximise every opportunity to score in a close battle in the midfield. We also believe in investing in our young drivers at the Williams Driver Academy. and Franco has a fantastic opportunity to show what he can do in the final nine rounds of the season.”.

“This is obviously incredibly tough for Logan, who has given everything he has during his time at Williams, and we would like to thank him for all his hard work and positivity. Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him as he continues his career in the future. I know that Franco has great speed and great potential., and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1.”– he finished.

Why Williams Decided to Fire Sargeant:

Although Sargeant knew it wouldn’t happen in 2025, the idea was for him to finish with the team in the event, beyond the usual criticism from the Williams boss. James Vowlesdue to his low level. However, the move was hastened by a mistake the 23-year-old American driver made in the third practice session on Saturday at the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort: He crashed his car and they couldn’t repair it. be part of the classification the same day. And rumors began to spread…

Word quickly began to spread around the paddock that the British team would immediately dump Sargeant, who had raced in the Netherlands and finished 16th. A decision had to be made quickly because Italian Grand Prix. on the legendary track Monza He will begin his internship this Friday, August 30th.

Logan entered Formula 1 last year, where he scored his only official point in Maxima after finished 10th in his country at the United States Grand Prix.But in addition to the general indicators, there is one fact that casts doubt on the analysis of its level: he never finished better than his teammate Alboncounting the races in which both crossed the finish line. This year, to make matters worse, the Thai added just four points to the team with two ninth-place finishes, while Sargeant barely managed a better 11th place, despite finishing 20th twice, 19th once and 17th five times overall.

Franco Colapinto’s motorsport career:

Franco Colapinto began his karting career at an early age, competing in national and international categories. His performances at this stage opened the door for him to move to single-seaters and emigrate to Europe. The Pilar native made his debut in 2018 in Spanish Formula 4 Championship and became a champion together with the team Drakes School in 2019.

In 2020, Colapinto took another step up to the higher categories by joining European Cup from Formula RenaultHe took three wins and podiums during the season, positioning himself as one of the most promising riders, finishing third in the 2020 championship. A year later, Franco made his debut in the championship. Formula 3one of the initial categories of Formula 1 and represented teams such as MP Motorsport And Van Amersfoort Racing. During this stage, the Pilar native achieved victories and podiums, cementing his position as one of the riders with the greatest success.

In addition to his single-seater career, Colapinto competed in endurance racing, including endurance racing. 24 Hours of Le Mans in category LMP2This experience allowed him to diversify his skills and be considered a versatile pilot.

In addition to this historic participation in the remaining Formula 1 races this year, the idea is to continue by 2025 Formula 2 With MP Motorsport because the pilot feels confident after the experience gained this season. Dallara recruited to the Dutch team, he proved to be competitive and Colapinto He is very comfortable with the team members he has known since 2021. European regional formula.

Franco is sixth in the Formula 1 championship in the hallway category after winning Imolaand two second places in Spain And Austria. Whenever his car was competitive, he knew how to take advantage of it. He is the third-best debutant in the specialty this season after Gabriel Bortoleto And Paul Aron. However, he will now leave the hallway division to compete in the Maxim tournament until the end of 2024.

Williams’ official statement on Franco Colapinto’s announcement:

“Williams Racing announces that Franco Colapinto will race with the team until the end of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship season, competing starting from the Italian Grand Prix alongside Alex Albon. He will use the #43 race number.

Franco is a member of the Williams Driver Academy and made his FP1 debut in the FW46 season at the British Grand Prix. His Formula 2 campaign this year has seen him take victory at Imola and podiums at Barcelona and Austria, as well as seven more points.

The 21-year-old will be Williams Racing’s 49th Grand Prix driver. He is the first Argentine driver in Formula One for 23 years and the second Argentine to race for the British team, after his compatriot Carlos Reutemann.

The team would like to take this opportunity to thank Logan Sargeant for his hard work and contribution over the last two seasons. He competed in 36 Grands Prix and at last year’s United States Grand Prix became the first American driver to score a Formula One point since Michael Andretti 30 years earlier. “Logan will remain part of the Williams family and we look forward to supporting him as he continues his racing career.”